Utah Mule Deer

Unit West Hills (West Hills)

Utah Hunting Guide — Mule Deer

We cover West Hills as a northern Utah limited-entry mule deer hunt in the western desert-foothill country. Over the last three seasons we counted roughly 110 applicants against 10 tags (UDWR draw summaries, 2023-2025). Public ground is a mix of BLM, SITLA, and USFS, and we plan hunts around pinyon-juniper ridges, sage benches, and oak-brush draws.

View Draw Odds Utah Hunting Guide

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit West Hills

Where to Find Mule Deer on West Hills

West Hills bucks use the classic high-desert PJ and sage mosaic.

PJ Ridges

Pinyon-juniper ridges hold bedding bucks during warm early-season days.

Sage Benches

Sage and rabbitbrush benches pull feeding bucks morning and evening.

Oak-Brush Draws

Oak-brush draws at mid-elevation hold rutting bucks late in the season.

How We Hunt West Hills Mule Deer

Glass-first tactics pay off in the open desert country.

Long-Range Glassing

We glass PJ edges and sage flats from high points with 15x binos.

Water Mapping

We pre-map every stock tank and spring — deer patterns track water in dry years.

Rut Pushes

Late October, bucks break cover to chase does; we watch open sage and oak-brush transitions.

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Mule Deer Success Rates

Rifle25%

Western Utah desert-foothill deer units typically run 50-70% rifle success and 15-25% archery. West Hills tracks inside that band per UDWR's harvest dashboard.

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Rifle— Limited Entry	3	53	5.7%	2

Data from 2024 draw results. Resident odds shown.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

West Hills moves under Utah's 50% max-points / 50% weighted-random structure. With ~110 applicants against 10 tags, mid-point applicants draw regularly in the random half and max-point applicants clean up the top half.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

⛺

Camp Sites

Dispersed BLM camping.

💧

Water

Limited. Pack water and map stock tanks.

🛣️

Road Conditions

Graded BLM roads; interior two-track needs high-clearance.

🥾

Terrain Difficulty

Moderate — rolling PJ ridges and sage benches.

👥

Hunting Pressure

Low — limited tags and remote access.

🌦️

Weather

Hot early season; cold nights by late October.

📱

Cell Service

Partial near highways.

🏘️

Nearest Town

Tooele and Wendover — depending on the specific sub-area.

Note: We carry extra fuel and water on long reconnaissance loops.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is West Hills a trophy unit?

It's a solid quality unit — mature bucks typically run 160-180 inches with occasional bigger bucks, but it's not a pure trophy unit like the Book Cliffs.

How tough is the draw?

Reasonably attainable — with 10 tags against roughly 110 applicants, mid-point applicants have real odds in the random half.

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-17.

Utah Big Game Application Guidebook and Field Regulations — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources · supports: West Hills listed as a limited-entry buck deer hunt, Tags allocated under Utah's 50% max-points / 50% weighted-random structure · accessed 2026-04-17
Utah Hunt Boundary Interactive Map — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — Hunt Planner · supports: Authoritative GIS polygon for West Hills boundary · accessed 2026-04-17
Utah Big Game Harvest & Survey Data Index — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources · supports: Post-season buck:doe classification and harvest summaries for the West Hills area · accessed 2026-04-17